worthy of Zahra.
He closed the last bit of distance between us, and lifted my chin, his eyes searching mine. “Tell me your name.”
I swallowed hard. “Zahra.”
“How well do you know this city?” he asked.
His question threw me off guard. “I was born here. I know every alley in the East End and by the river. Okay, do you want me to tie you up now?”
“Absolutely not. What do you do when you’re not working?”
I was breathing deeply, chest heaving. “Are we making small talk?”
“No. I just need to make sure you’re the right one.”
The right one? “I dance. And I walk around the city. I love this city. The ancient Albian city, founded by the Raven King.”
His eyes were so piercing, his gaze penetrating my soul. I wanted to hide.
His fingers closed a little harder on my chin.
My lip curled. You should be hanging from the gallows, angel. Not us. Your feet should cast shadows over the earth as they swing. The ravens should be picking at your bones.
The darkness of those thoughts surprised even myself.
“You …” he said, as if sounding perplexed, his face close to mine. “Zahra. You pretend that you’re happy. But underneath that veneer of cheerfulness, there’s anger. There’s a darkness. Rage, even.”
I found myself transfixed by his strange, beautiful gaze, until everything went dark. I felt myself falling through the air, plummeting at a thousand miles per hour through a void. Completely alone in the darkness, the solitude an unendurable torture. It was like a physical pain that split me open.
I breathed in sharply, and the world came back to me. I faltered, and the count caught me around the waist, pulling me against his hard chest.
Under his cloak, the material of his shirt was exquisitely soft. And beneath it, the pure steel of a warrior’s body. With his powerful arms wrapped around me, I caught my breath for a moment. His magic skimmed over me, making my heart race faster. My cheeks burned as I realized my nipples had tightened to sensitive points.
I pushed myself away from him and folded my arms in front of my chest, self-conscious. “Perhaps you’d be happier with one of the other courtesans.”
“No. I don’t think another one will do.”
I slid out of the high heels. Because fuck those shoes. I looked up at him, considerably shorter than I had been.
Mentally, I mastered control of myself. Another smile plastered on my face. Thieving, brawling I could do. Running from cutthroats in the street I could do. But Count Saklas? He made me feel something I rarely did: panic.
The count reached out and gripped my waist. He pulled me in closer to him, peering down at me. Sinful heat rippled through me, making my thighs clench. What was he doing?
“You,” he said again. “But why?”
“Why what?” I caught a glimpse of something gold on the side of his cheekbones, but it was hard to see.
Instinctively, I understood. It was the edge of a face that mortals were never meant to see, because it could break our minds. A low, menacing voice knelled in the hollows of my mind. Death is upon you. Run or die.
I tried to take a step back, but his hand was rooting me in place, possessive. Fingers locked on my hip while he stared into my eyes. Something screamed inside me, from the ancient part of my brain—a primal instinct to either run or fight.
And apparently, fighting won out, because the next thing I knew, I was slamming my left fist into his face. It felt like I broke some of my fingers when they hit the pure steel of his jaw.
His head snapped away with the blow, then his face shot back toward me, fire burning in his eyes. Fast as lightning, he grabbed both my wrists, then spun me around, pinning my arms down to my waist. Once again, I felt myself pressed against him—iron muscles under an exquisitely soft material.
He leaned down, his mouth near my ear. “You’re unusually strong.” His deep voice slid through my bones. “Interesting. Very interesting.”
“What’s interesting about that? What do you want with me?”
“You will find out soon enough.”
He dropped his grip on me, and I caught my breath again as he moved away. I turned to see him stalking out the door. Dread raked its claws through my heart.
7
Lila
Twenty minutes later, I stood in a hall with Zahra by my side. Saxophones and trumpets blared through the walls, the sounds of people with the good fortune to